FOR A MORE UP-TO-DATE INTERVIEW WITH PAUL, CHECK OUT OUR RECENT INTERVIEW HERE!
As a veteran Hallmark supporter, I knew who Paul Campbell was. His movies are always favorites in our household, and once I began regularly featuring Hallmark actors on my site, I knew he was one I wanted to interview. However, his schedule often kept him from responding to my requests, and I truly have the Hallmarkies Podcast to thank for assisting me in my quest to land this interview. I couldn’t believe how easily he agreed to do an interview with them, and after a couple more concerted attempts on my part, he agreed to my incessant requests. Although he doesn’t have anything coming up immediately on the Hallmark network, no doubt most of my readers will recognize this suave, handsome, astonishingly talented man who is consistently hailed as a preferred male lead amongst the female viewers.
Paul Campbell Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Juan Euan
RH: Paul, I cannot tell you what an honor it is to speak with you today.
PC: Ruth, it is my pleasure. Thank you for being adaptable with all my shifts in schedules. The life of an actor requires a lot of flexibility.
I understand completely.
Then when you add in a little one at home… thankfully, he’s down for a nap, so we’re good to go for at least a couple hours.
I was able to do a little bit of research on you, Paul, and I read the bio that you have on IMDB. I believe you wrote that.
Yes, many, many years ago. Generally, those bios are aimed at getting the actor more work, but mine is aimed at just having fun with the fact that every other bio seems to be so serious. I think I would call it the “anti-bio.”
Well, I still think there could be a strategy there.
As far as I know, whatever strategy I may have been using hasn’t paid off because I don’t think it’s gotten me any jobs at this point in my career. {laughs} But maybe it’s like my twenty-five-year plan. I wrote that at least ten years ago, and I need to update it anyway. I’m older now and more mature. More facial hair.
True. You’re no longer the twenty-something lead looking for a date. Now you’re more along the lines of…
…the lead guy who lost his wife whose relationship has come and gone. Just adrift in an ice field looking for his second soulmate. He’s getting another shot at love. It’s my second go-round. And now I’m the “dad” age, and literally in real life, I am a dad. I’m now going out for dad roles and divorcees.
Currently, you’re playing the roles that are more my age. You actually are a little bit younger than I. So I understand that you didn’t start out with the intention of being an actor.
Oh, you mean like from birth?.
Well, when you were contemplating your options about what you were going to do in life, was full-time acting something you were considering?
No, I would say it was probably the furthest thing from my mind. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a carpenter. Even at five years old, I remember asking for a drill for Christmas. My dad had a drill. My grandfather had a drill. And I wanted a drill, so I got one. Through my entire adolescence and throughout high school, I was planning to build houses. I just loved the idea of building houses, and I honestly, I didn’t consider any other profession.
When I was eighteen, after I graduated, I became a carpenter. I got a couple of years into it and I was like, “I don’t want to do this. This isn’t the job that I thought it was.” A friend of mine was doing some background work on a movie that was shooting in Vancouver. Will Smith was starring in it. My friend called me one day and said,” Oh man, I’m having so much fun and hanging out with Will Smith. And I’m making ‘X’ amount of dollars.” And I was like, “You’re making three dollars more an hour than I am, and I’m bustin’ my butt hauling lumber across the construction yard!” So my friend encouraged me to come and do some background work.
Well, I took an acting class because I thought you needed one of those. You don’t, but I took one and fell in love with it. I applied to theater school and that was it. Now that being said, I still love carpentry; I do it all the time. I love finished carpentry particularly. Cabinet-making and all that stuff. I do it, but it’s not where my real career is. It’s more of a hobby, and I think that’s what keeps it appealing to me.
I think it’s smart to have another skill like that when you’re an actor. I talk to a lot of young actors who don’t have other skills besides acting. Their plan is to be an actor, and many figure that since they’re gonna be rich and famous, they don’t need to worry about having another skill to fall back on. But as we know, there will be lean times, and having another skill like carpentry can keep you from being desperate during those times.
carpenter Paul
I agree. For me, knowing that I had something else to fall back on gave me the mental freedom to feel like it was okay to fail. I felt like I could take bigger swings and even take some risks. I could go down to Los Angeles and spend a little money. I wasn’t always worried about the next job because the second you start to worry about the next job, then you don’t get any more work. You have to stop worrying about when the next job is going to come, and that’s when the work comes. I think that’s every actor’s experience across the board.
So you mentioned that you were invited by your friend to do background work.
Well, I never actually did the background work. My story is rather odd. I really have lucked into so many things in my career. I’ve worked hard, but I’ve also been met with a ton of luck. I went to theater school for a couple of years and got my diploma in theater. I hate to brag, but I’ve got a two-year diploma from community college. Eat that, you well-trained thespians! {laughs} Just kidding. But I was not at all prepared for pursuing a career in film and television because even though I had the fundamentals of acting, there was nothing about the business side of the industry like getting an agent or anything like that.
After I graduated from college, I went back to construction work for about three or four months. A friend of mine who had graduated the same time phoned me one day and said, “I ran into this guy that was a year behind us in the program, and he asked whether I was in touch with you still.” When my friend said he was, this guy went on to say, “I totally forgot but at the last performance before you graduated, my agent came to the show to see me and really liked Paul and gave me his business card. He told me to tell Paul to call him.” This was several months after I graduated, and I had basically come back to my old life. Now my friend was giving the contact information of an agent who had shown interest in me.
from Battlestar Galactica with Kandyse McClure
So I called the agent, went in and met him and put something on tape for him as an audition. He loved it, and he sent it in for casting for this movie Chris Evans was doing and they offered me a small role in that movie based on this first audition. And that was it. As soon as I did that, I was off to the races. Battlestar Galactica came along nine or ten months later, and I was well on my way.
I have not had an opportunity to watch the more recent Battlestar Galactica. I use to watch the one from way back in the late 70’s.
There could not be two more different series. It’s almost like saying, “Have you see Bloodline?” And the person responds with, “I used to watch Facts of Life.” Or, “Have you seen Breaking Bad?” “Oh, I used to watch The Cosby Show.”
{laughs} Oh, yes, I know there’s a big difference!
with Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica
In the case of Battlestar Galactica, if it wasn’t for everyone, the show wouldn’t have made it. People really got into the show and the fans really liked it. It’s still sci-fi, and not everyone has the same affinity for the sci-fi genre. But it really did find an incredible audience. And it did great things for me.
I didn’t use to be a sci-fi fan, but one of my actor friends has been in a lot of sci-fi stuff. In fact, he was on a few episodes of Battlestar Galactica himself. So it’s one of those shows I need to watch at some point. {Update: I have now seen the pilot and will be watching more as I’m able.} But even though I haven’t seen all your past works, I have seen and enjoyed all your Hallmark movies. And although I had seen Window Wonderland and Surprised By Love, I only made the connection with who you were when I saw you in Once Upon A Holiday. In fact, I reviewed that one ahead of its premiere. That one stands out to me because of the Roman Holiday connection.
Exactly! That one was a really fun movie.
Now even though you are unable to watch Hallmark up there, were you familiar with the network?
Oh, it’s true that Canada is very Hallmark-deprived. We get a lot of the movies now through another couple of the channels, but we still don’t always get to see them up here in Canada.
So how familiar were you with Hallmark before you started doing these films?
Not familiar in the sense that I had seen many of the movies or any of the movies. I had an awareness of what the Hallmark network was. Even before I started working with them, they had set up shop in Vancouver and were producing a fair amount of films. But I didn’t really get a sense of the volume they were producing or the tone, quality, and style until I actually did Window Wonderland. That was my first film with them back in 2013. Then Surprised By Love in 2014 and Once Upon A Holiday in 2015. That was a good run. Three for three there. Once I got a sense of what Hallmark was all about, I was hooked. I wanted to do more and more and more.
I understand that. And of course, you have a family now. I often hear from actors how they love being able to work for Hallmark because everyone can watch their movies and shows together as a family. You don’t have to worry about content or your kids seeing something you don’t want them to see.
Hallmark Channel is the perfect place for me to be working right now. I love working for them, and they’ve always been really good to me. I really like the content, and now that I have a family, it’s a nice sort of pleasant content where I don’t have to worry about racy, questionable stuff. It’s definitely the direction that I feel I’m headed. I’m always open to doing movies or series with Hallmark, whatever they have for me. I would always jump at the chance. Not that I wouldn’t have a few years ago, but when I was in my twenties, I don’t think it was where my head was. I was looking for edgier stuff. I truly have liked working for Hallmark, and I’ve noticed in the last three or four years that they’ve also really stepped up their game in terms of production. I think they realize their audience is growing steadily, and they’ve begun making movies with pretty good-sized budgets. You can tell the quality of their production has generally gone up. They’re hiring phenomenal actors, and I’ll say that they’re one of the only networks–if not only network on television–that has created their own star system within the network. With other networks, it’s often, “Oh, you’ve recently done a pilot or a show…” Particularly in Canada, if you’ve been on a TV series, they don’t generally want you to come back for about five or ten years in another series because they’ve already seen you. Most networks seem to want a fresh face. But with Hallmark, they realize the value of bringing people back time and again because the audience falls in love with those people. Hallmark is a well-run, good company to work for.
I hear that so much from actors who work regularly for Hallmark and even those who don’t. And the fans regularly say how they love getting to see their favorite actors time and again, whether it’s the leads or supporting cast. I have heard of some of the supporting actors being cast in up to ten films in one year, and that is just unheard of!
Hallmark’s brand is built on knowing what their audience likes, and they give it to them in varying ways. They are committed to giving viewers what they like. A lot of the stories have pretty similar arcs in terms of the way the relationships develop and all that. You know it’s gonna be a happy ending. People tune in because they like the idea that they know what they’re getting. And with actors, it’s the same kind of thing. Hallmark fans will love this actor or that actor, and people want to tune in to see them again. You’re not typically tuning in wondering, “I don’t know if I’m gonna like this one.” You already know you’re gonna like it the moment you turn the movie on.
I remember with Once Upon A Holiday, I was sitting there watching and because I knew how the original ended, I was wondering how Hallmark was going to end it. I figured it was going to end happily, but I kept going back and forth all the way to the end, and when they got to the end, I was like, “Okay, I can live with that.” They have a happy ending as opposed to the kind of sad Roman Holiday ending. I think I would have been happy either way, but you don’t necessarily want a Christmas movie with a sad ending. I liked the way it wrapped up, and it was a fun one.
Hallmark knows exactly what they’re doing. They’ve got it down to a science.
Now you did take a couple of years off from acting.
Paul and his son
Yes, that is correct. Around the time my son was born, I took some time off. It was weird because we had actually been in Los Angeles the year prior to that. I find the more I bounce around, the more time I seem to have off. If I’m not situated in one place for too long, it’s harder to get work. I was off for about six months before my son was born, and after he was born, I just took off the rest of the year. So I was out for about eighteen months before I decided it was time to get back on the horse. And that’s when I pitched the idea to Hallmark for Sun, Sand & Romance. I was at home looking after the kiddo, and I realized I could be doing writing at home. And so that pushed me into the development/creative direction that I’m really having fun pursuing now.
And that was a really fun one. Even my mom remembers that one, which is saying something. She kind of remembered Once Upon A Holiday, but once I mentioned Sun, Sand & Romance and Sadie Robertson, she then immediately remembered you. And that doesn’t usually happen. Sometimes I have to name off four or five movies before she will kind of remember someone. And a lot of fans told me how wonderful it was to see you back on Hallmark.
Thank you. Yes, I was happy to be back.
Some fans told me that you were their favorite Hallmark actor and they had really missed you.
That’s really nice to hear. That movie was so much fun to make. And I know that Hallmark at the time had just started doing location movies. They had just done a movie in Mexico prior to that. Then this movie was supposed to film in North Carolina, but for some reason, it didn’t work out to film there. Then Hallmark suggested Cancun. And I was like, “Yeah! Get me there now!” We spent three weeks just south of Cancun at this incredible resort. We all stayed at the resort where we were shooting, and we sort of had the run of the place. We were there two weeks. And then we were one week out on location on horses and on the beach and doing the zip line stuff. It was the most ridiculous paid vacation I’ve ever had! It was so much fun.
I know Hallmark has started doing more of these location movies. And it’s so fun as a viewer to see that. It was a beautiful place where you guys were filming, and I think that added to the enjoyment for the viewer. It’s always fun to see these different areas. Hallmark does so many in LA or Vancouver or Toronto that it’s nice to see something a bit different.
I’m mulling an idea over for a sequel where the wedding would happen. I would like to pitch it to the network. I know Hallmark doesn’t seem opposed to sequels, but we’ll see what happens. I know they’ve done a bunch of sequels this year already, and I don’t know if they’re going to continue that trend. I am just trying to get another trip to Mexico!
While I can’t speak for Hallmark necessarily, I know they have been pretty happy with the sequels they have done this year especially. June had five movies, three of which were sequels.
Sun, Sand & Romance
That’s interesting. I think the life or death of the sequel I would pitch would probably depend largely on the number of people who tune in to see the sequels the network has already done. I think I understand the numbers were pretty good which seems to be an indication to me that there’s an appetite for sequels. And for a network that is built on reusing stars, I think if you’ve found a property or a movie that people enjoy, then people will come back to see a sequel because they already know that they love those characters and the story and they are going to want to see the next installment. So hopefully this will go well. If things totally bomb for whatever reason, then the suntan and the wedding are only going to exist in my head. I do have a fun story already planned for it, so I’m waiting with bated breath to see when I can pitch it to the network.
From what I’ve seen, sequels seem to do quite well. There are a few fans who are very outspoken about how they don’t like sequels at all, and there are those who feel you should never do a sequel. But personally, I love sequels. You already know the characters, and you can build upon that. In fact, quite often, the sequels are even better than the first. People tend to understand their characters better and the actors are more comfortable with each other.
Sun, Sand & Romance with Tricia Helfer
I think if you find someone like…Tricia Helfer and I, we’ve been friends since back during the Battlestar days. So when you find someone who you have a good connection with and that you can have fun with…I don’t know. You don’t always find that, but it’s sort of a nice treat when you find that with somebody, so why not do it again? Good chemistry with a co-star, whether it’s male or female, isn’t always easy to find. Once you do find it, I figure you should stick with it if you can.
I think it sounds like a great idea. And when I mentioned to one of the fans that I was interviewing you, they said to be sure to find out what else you were doing for Hallmark. So I tend to think that anything you would be willing to do with Hallmark, I think most fans would be behind you one hundred percent.
That’s really nice to hear. Thank you. I have a million ideas. I think people have realized now that Hallmark is a great place to go to take your ideas to get movies made. They’re such a good company in the workforce. They’re just inundated with ideas, I know. But as they produce more and more original content for the network and as they expand from two channels to Hallmark Drama and even their streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now, there is going to be more of a demand for more original movies. Even more so than there is now. So I’m going to keep at it. I think once a month, I’m going to throw an idea at them.
Sun, Sand & Romance
I think that’s a good idea. Why not? I know there are a lot of actors who are moving more into producing and writing. And I think when you have a good working relationship with the network, they’re very open to that kind of thing.
I agree. When you come to them with a package, whether it’s a script or an idea, and you already have a star involved, it just makes it easier for them to say “yes.” They know exactly what this is, and they love the idea. So they agree to do it.
Do you have any other upcoming works you can mention?
I wrapped recently on a Lifetime film. It’s a sort of a dark, tragic story called The Girl In the Bathtub. So hopefully that will be coming out sometime in the near future. But I will warn you. This movie is a little racy. I play sort of a vanilla, sweet character. But much of the movie is dark and racy. It should be good, though. Jason Patric plays the lead guy and Caitlin Stasey from Reign and a lot of other stuff is the lead girl. She’s the girl in the bathtub. Then a Canadian guy, Adrian Holmes, who is a phenomenal actor, plays one of the other leads. It’s a really good cast, but a dark tale.
at the Hallmark TCA’s
Then I also have a guest spot coming up in an ABC show called Take Two. It stars Rachel Bilson and Eddie Cibrian. There’s a lot of Vancouver talent in this one, and my episode should be coming up soon.
I have been watching the show, and I love seeing all the local Vancouver talent.
A lot of U.S. shows are filming up here in Vancouver, and I think they recognize there is a huge talent pool here. And so they figure they might as well utilize it.
Well, it sounds like you’ve got some great stuff coming and some things in the works, and I think I can speak for the fans when we say we definitely look forward to your next Hallmark work. I really hope that sequel comes through for you.
Me too, Ruth. And thank you so much for taking the time to chat today. And thanks to the fans for all their wonderful support over the years. It is very appreciated.
with the family
This interview is another example of why one must be tenacious not only in this business in general but particularly as a journalist like me. In fact, I would venture to say that persistence is a quality that people should attempt to religiously and rigorously develop in their everyday lives. Having the opportunity to pick the brain of one of Hallmark’s finest is a genuine treat that I am immensely grateful to have had. Paul’s positive life experiences, his indomitable sense of humor, and his fierce dedication to his family and his career is a tribute to who he is as a person as well as an industry professional. He may never have set out to be an actor, but he was willing to adapt to the times and opportunities sent his way. Paul is a prime example of someone who thought his life was planned out, but once he embarked on that “dream job,” he discerned that his true passion lay elsewhere. The fact that he is a multi-faceted individual with his hand in a variety of pursuits is what prompts him to be the quick-witted, easygoing, comfortable-in-his-own-skin guy that graces our screens with talent, wit, and understanding. The viewers cannot help but be infatuated with this virtuous and beautiful world he has facilitated in creating on screen because he is just so darned congenial and personable. Furthermore, it is his genius and his comfort level that make what he does for a living look immensely easy. He is relatable on so many levels, and there is no doubt that he will continue to be a perennial favorite no matter where his acting pursuits take him next.
If you have been watching Take Two on ABC (or if you have not), I would invite you to continue watching and/or add it to your playlist lest you miss the episode in which Paul will demonstrate his prowess on screen, Additionally, if you are not following Paul on social media, I strongly recommend that you remedy that as soon as possible by visiting all his links below. And if you have not seen his Hallmark films, I encourage you to check your local listings immediately (Christmas in July may afford you the opportunity to watch Once Upon A Holiday, as a matter of fact). Moreover, I am quite hopeful that in the weeks/months to come, perhaps Hallmark will announce an upcoming movie with Paul, be it sequel or no. Plus, I am certain that on the day Hallmark resolves to employ Paul’s extraordinary giftedness yet again in one of their celebrated works, viewers will rush to the network with overabundant appreciativeness and breathlessly await that moment when we can yet again luxuriate in the wonder that is Paul Campbell.
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